Saturday, June 30, 2012

The Hose Is Your Heart (Prov. 4:23)

This tweet got my attention last Saturday.
                                      "A two-inch garden hose will carry four
                                      times as much water as a one-inch hose."*

Output quadruples as input doubles.  What believer doesn't want more of the Spirit flowing through him?  For the Holy Spirit to flow more powerfully, you must create more room for Him. Expand your capacity to be used.
  • Relationship.  Keep the hose connected to the spigot. What do you mean the hose is in the garage?  That's okay if you're planning to do all the watering there.  It won't help your lawn, though.  Hook up the hose to the spout.  The spigot is not a decoration but a necessity.
  • Readiness.  Keep the hose uncoiled.  Coiled hoses have a neater appearance but they aren't positioned to get water where and when it's needed.  Mobilization takes time.  Opportunities can be missed.  Coiled hoses get kinks that confine flow.  Keep yourself ready.  You never know when the Holy Spirit might want to use you.
  • Repentance.  Keep the hose clean.  If you cut into an old hose, what would you find? Bugs, sand, build-up, or small debris?  Just because the hose is shiny on the outside doesn't mean it's clean on the inside.
  • Discipline.  Keep the hose supple.  When a hose hardens, it will eventually crack.  Then you end up with a mess.  What began as a good-natured attempt to refresh someone ends up a near-drowning.  The water should be steady and forceful yet controlled.  Power is okay.  It's wildness we must discourage.
  • Maturity.  Just because you add sections to the hose doesn't mean it delivers more volume.  Just because you've been with Jesus a long time doesn't necessarily mean you've grown.  Maturity is what increases the diameter.  Remember:  Output (power) increases as input (diameter) does.  Power is proportionate to character.
 *https://twitter.com/leadtoday/status/216629255625388033

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